The Angels’ design

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Once upon a time, before the cosmos, before stars and galaxies, and long before the world, when everything was still chaos and entropy, there was a school for the children of the Angels. It was a very special school where the children, who were small and did not know how to express themselves in words yet, spent hours drawing, singing, and above all playing. It was not a kindergarten, a place to entertain children while their parents were at work. Way far from it! It was one of the most important idea labs in the Celestial Vault. Entropy had to be given an order, the cosmos had to be shaped, energy had to be given an outlet; in short, there was a lot to do and too much at stake! That is why children were chosen, because they have pure hearts and infallible intuition. Of course, there was t a master plan, and it was a very complicated work of engineering, chemistry and physics! But to include beauty everywhere, that is the reason they were chosen: the Angel Children.

There was one drawing in particular that the designers and engineers of the Celestial Vault particularly loved, and that many kept hanging in their offices. It was the work of  some very small children Angels, and it was really truly beautiful. It was a landscape of gentle, irregular shapes where small cone-shaped mountains came out of nowhere, interspersed with rolling hills. Conceptually this bizarre landscape could also represent the frequencies of a piece of music. Who knows, you know how children are, it is impossible to really get into their heads! The hills were embroidered with trees of all kinds, with the most beautiful flowers and butterflies that had ever been drawn, and guess what, there were the vineyards as well! The vineyards were of all kinds; “tagliapoggio”, “giropoggio”, “cavalcapoggio”, “ritocchino”, “ciglioni”, even as terraces on the steepest and sharpest hills!

Now do not tell me you did not know vineyards are an invention of the Angels as well! Legend has it, in fact, that some of these drawings are still on earth, jealously kept as a holy grail, and that over the course of centuries men have been inspired by them to draw agricultural and rural landscapes everywhere.

The films projected at the Consortium, with the violent volcanic eruptions and the fury of the primordial ocean that have shaped these incredible lands, represent the work of the Angels engineers, geologists, chemical and physicists, but the original design is there in front of everyone’s eyes: it is the landscape of the Euganei Hills that unfolds in all its charm as you travel along the roads that unwind along this evocative land. Here too, someone over the millennia must have found a copy of this precious drawing somewhere on earth, jealously guarded and handed down for generations, because the landscape of the Euganei Hills has been modeled over the centuries by the hand of man exactly as in the drawing of the Children Angels. Okay, maybe not exactly but we are very close! The sacredness of the place here has always been perceived by the collective subconscious because the landscape, which is created by man, is harmonious and respectful of that nature.

The good news is that this enchanted place, with all its wonders, is right here in Italy, just around the corner from some of the most beautiful cities in the world such as Venice and Padua. The volcanic origin of this territory is also evidenced by the presence of the Euganei thermal baths, the largest thermal basin in Europe.

There are eight “districts” to discover, eight routes that will allow you to explore every side of the Euganei Hills; eight routes along which you will find works of art, landscapes and nature that will win your heart over forever, such as the wonderful village of Arquà Petrarca, the superlative Villa dei Vescovi in Luvignano di Terreglia, the Benedictine Abbey of Praglia, the Mottolo Castle, Villa Emo, the spectacular Villa Mantua Benavides, and much more.

But let’s get to the point and talk about wine. I fell in love with Colli Euganei a long time ago with Marco Sambin, a virtuous vigneron who produces natural wines of great elegance and charm, and who counts among his creations Marcus, a Bordeaux blend of great elegance and personality, freshness and depth̀, richness and sincere eloquence, which caresses the senses and cannot be forgotten! A winery I promised myself to visit as soon as possible; we will talk about it again. Our journey has touched different places, exemplary and representative wineries of the territory, each with its own personality and production philosophy. In order of appearance:

  • San Nazario : Certified organic reality since long ago. The “Sustainable Cuisine” with a vegetarian menu of local products at KM 0, make the tasting even more intense and vibrant. Guest of honor the winery La Costiera, where the love for things made according to nature becomes a mission, and everything else is an aftermath in every sip.
  • Quota 101: From Entrepreneurs to Winemakers for them it was an instant! And listening to the stories while strolling between the vines, there is no doubt that this was their true vocation. “Fate never looks you in the face” and thank goodness! Otherwise, we would not have this beautiful winery now, with its sober and elegant design, eco-sustainable systems and processes, and very pleasant wines.
  • Monteversa: It is not just a winery, it is a philosophy, a way of life, and everything else is a consequence, even when it comes to wine. “Soil Wines, Root Wines,” and I would add Love Wines.

The discovery of the excellent production of the territory continued at dinner, and then at the Enoteca at Villa dei Vescovi the next day, with the producers of other four realities:

  • Tenuta Gambalonga: Their Fior D’Arancio DOCG from pure Moscato Giallo is truly delicious. “A new product with ancient roots. A wine created to become a symbol of this area, an ambassador of that quality which in the Euganei Hills has now become a concept with multiple meanings.” (quoted by Renato Malaman)
  • Azienda Agricola Reassi: with a Cabernet of high lineage with a unique character, decidedly marked by this territory, as are all the Bordeaux blends from Euganei Hills, always able to combine muscle and elegance.
  • In Pianzio: with the enchanting Serpino, the wine that was originally made to share with friends and family. Slightly sparkling, fresh and pleasantly aromatic, this wine made from Glera grapes, which here takes the name of Serpino, or Serpinio, is definitely a bottle that satisfies everyone in its straightforward simplicity.
  • Vigne al Colle: with Passo delle Streghe, from a vineyard that has always been dedicated to Moscato Giallo, a name that evokes ancient stories full of magic, and it is when the moon meets the Monte della Madonna on cold winter nights that magical and extraordinary things happen. Maybe that is why wine is always so good there!

Last but not least, would you like to know about the Euganei spritz from the Wine Shop in Arquà? I’ll tell you some other time, but if you are curious you just have to plan a trip to this corner of paradise, full of beauty, wonder and surprises!